A reputation is the beliefs or opinions that are generally held about someone or something. In fear of tarnishing one's reputation, individuals tends to go to extreme lengths in order to protect it. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, the actions and choices of John Proctor, Reverend Samuel Parris and Abigail Williams serve to prove this to the audience. First of all, John Proctor will protect his reputation at all costs, even if it ultimately ends his life. Second, Reverend Parris will stop at nothing to keep his authority, even if he has to sacrifice his faith.
The reputation signifies a lot for many characters. John Proctor is elate and does not let anybody to manipulate him. First he does not admit his sins and then he does it only because of his wife. She denies it in order not to destroy her husband’s reputation.
The Sins of John Proctor John Proctor Lust Wrath Pride John proctor, a quiet, yet respected member of the community in Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, commits many sins such as lust, wrath, and pride. First, John’s foolish past comes back to haunt him when Abigail Williams brings up memories of their past love life, showing John to be a lustful and unloyal husband. When John goes into town to see what all the talk is about a flying girl. Abigail, Who is still in love with John, brings up past memories of the things they did together. John tells her “Abby, I never gave you hope to wait for me.”
There has come a time in everyone’s life when their character was called into question, or someone accused them wrongly of something they did not do. This puts a person’s morality on the line and tests whether they will do what’s best for them or the masses. The Crucible by Arthur Miller shows the characters John Proctor, Deputy Governor Danforth, and Abigail Williams going through this same test. The play provides a narrative on how people choose to value their own reputation and honor over protecting the lives of themselves and others.
In the play The Crucible, the character John Proctor has a conflict with himself of maintaining his reputation and not ruining his own name. To begin, in act 1 John Proctor had a conversation with Abigail where she remembered him the affair but Proctor tried to maintain a position saying “I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach you again”(Miller 23) and when she kept talking about Proctor’s wife, he got upset and end with a “do you looking for whippin?”(Miller 24). This shows us that Proctor doesn’t want to remember this event that could ruin his reputation or relationship with his wife. Second, in Act 2 Elizabeth told Proctor to go testify against Abigail and prove that they were lying ,Proctor just answered with a “I’ll think on it”(Miller 53) and admitting
Many people in Salem know the length Abigail will go to in order to protect herself and her lies. Planning to speak out about the Abigails plan to ruin Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor receives warning from Mary Warren to proceed with caution when dealing with Abigail. Mary Warren warns Proctor, “ She’ll ruin you with, it I know she will”(Miller 503). Willing to ruin her own reputation and honor, Abigail threatens Proctor to keep him silent. If Proctor speaks out about Abigail pretending in court, it will bring Abigail’s credibility to be questioned.
Having a good reputation in town can change in a snap of a finger with things such as the sins of someone that you would least expect it from. All the sins of someone wouldn’t matter because what matters is the bigger picture which is the confession! The worst sin in the judge's eyes is a lie because it leads those surrounding them to be harmed, which would be selfish of someone that denied it all until it overthrew him and his name didn’t matter anymore in town! In a novel called, “The Crucible,” by Arthur Miller, a guy named John Proctor in a small town called Salem, had a good reputation in town but truthfully was a sinner all along. John Proctor is a sinner because of his affair with Abigail Williams who is a minor, his standards in the
In "The Crucible," maintaining one's reputation is a widespread theme that influences the actions of several characters. The pursuit of a positive reputation becomes a motivating factor, allowing characters to make choices that may at times contradict their morals or the truth. A quote that shows how the characters in this play are worried about their reputation is "I have fought here three long years to bend these stiff-necked people to me, and now, just now when some good respect is rising for me in the parish, you compromise my very character." Reverend Parris. Parris expressed concern about how his reputation will be affected by the accusations of witchcraft in his household.
In the Crucible, reputation could be seen as the driving force of the play. One could see that reputation can affect a character in an extreme manner, to the point where they make sudden drastic decisions that will protect their good name, but affect either themselves or others in a negative way. Such as how John Proctor dies for his name, or how Danforth lies and has others executed to protect himself, or lastly, how Parris lets Abigail blab because he realises his home may be the source of the problem. To begin, John Proctor, the protagonist in The Crucible, is an extremely reputable man. Proctor would do anything in his ability to protect his reputation.
The Crucible In The Crucible by Arthur Miller the villagers of Salem find themselves amidst a witch hunt where people will go to great and dark lengths to defend their reputation. John Proctor for example shows how much he cherishes his reputation when he was going to confess to witchcraft but stopped when he learned that his confession would be nailed to the door of the church, he then preached how he would not accept that being that his name would be all that is left of him in the world. “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! I lie and sign my life to lies!
One’s reputation holds great significance in the town of Salem, especially during the Salem Witch trials. The theme of preserving one’s reputation is predominant in The Crucible. Many characters went to extreme lengths to protect their reputation and this impacts how they act throughout the entire play, particularly in act four. John Proctor is a prime example of a man willing to do practically anything to maintain his good name, even die. John is a very respectable man in the city of Salem, which earns him a good reputation.
If you avoid conflict within yourself to keep peace, you will create a war inside yourself that will affect other people in your life. This is what happen to John Proctor in a book called “The Crucible.” by Arthur Miller. John Proctor chose to not admit to himself that he was unhappy in his life, which lead him to look for happiness somewhere else. As a result of this he caused a tear in his marriage and left his village divided. John Proctor is a tragic hero because he is suffering inside which lead to a conflict between himself and society that turn into a disaster.
In every story there is a hero, but in “The Crucible” some say it is up for debate. John Proctor is the hero of this story. He starts off as a man known for his crime of adultery. He struggles through this name created for himself and brings out his inner hero. To be considered a hero you must show it with your actions.
Although John Proctor had an affair with Abigail, he still cares for Elizabeth deeply, As a result, Proctor choice to reveal the truth of his affair in order to save his marriage and his loyalty. In act I Proctor states ” I am only wondering how I may prove what she told me…. Elizabeth: If the girls a saint now, I think it is not easy to prove shes fraud, and the town went so silly, she told it to me in a room alone----- I have no proof for it ….. Elizabeth: You were alone with her…… Proctor: for a moment alone, aye.
What makes a tragic hero? There are many examples throughout American Literature that could answer this question. One of which is John Proctor from the famous play, “The Crucible” written by Arthur Miller. He contains all the necessary criteria of the definition of a tragic hero. John Proctor portrays a tragic hero in “The Crucible” because he is considered a respected man, he possesses a tragic flaw of pride, and he gains wisdom by the end of the play.
